Harry Kane says the Ballon d’Or ceremony being held in his hometown of London could prove a “good omen” as he aims to become the first English winner of the award since Michael Owen in 2001.
The Bayern Munich striker was speaking in an exclusive interview released by the club, in which he also discussed the upcoming meeting with Arsenal and Bayern’s first match on an artificial pitch in Stavanger.
Kane’s Bayern team-mates and the club’s management have publicly backed his candidacy for the Ballon d’Or, which will be awarded in October.
“It makes me very proud,” said Kane. “I deeply value the support from my teammates and the club. We’ve been working very hard together, and I’m doing my best to contribute to the team. Their support makes me very happy, and I can only thank them.”
The ceremony will take place in London for the first time, giving Kane the chance to compete for the game’s most prestigious individual award in the city where he was born and lived for many years.
“The Ballon d’Or ceremony being held in London is, of course, very special for me,” he said. “I’m from London and lived there for a long time – perhaps that’s a good omen.
“No English player has won the Ballon d’Or in over 20 years, even though we’ve had many great English players during that time. Winning the Ballon d’Or would be a huge achievement for me. But for now, I’m focused on continuing to work hard and maintaining my performance this season.”
Kane spent part of his youth at Arsenal before establishing himself at north London rivals Tottenham Hotspur, where he played for many years. He said that history would not affect his approach when Bayern face Arsenal.
“The media will play up this story before the game, but for me personally, it’s not that important,” he said. “Arsenal is a very strong team, and I’ve had many important matches against them over the years.”
He added: “Of course, playing against Arsenal now for Bayern feels different from when I was at Tottenham. It’s impossible to completely disregard past experiences. However, I’ve also played against Arsenal many times for Bayern now. For me, the most important thing is to do my job and win the game.”
In October, Kane will travel to Stavanger for a match that will be played on an artificial surface. He said he did not keep a formal record of every country, city and stadium he had visited, but retained strong memories of the teams and places.
Kane said he generally kept shirts from milestone matches and had exchanged jerseys only twice: once with Cristiano Ronaldo from Real Madrid and once with Wayne Rooney from Manchester United.
“For me, the experiences are more important than the jerseys,” he said.
The striker last played on artificial turf in 2017, when England faced Lithuania. He expects Bayern’s style to remain unchanged, although players will need time to adjust because the surface places slightly more strain on the knees and ankles.
“As long as you wear the right boots, there shouldn’t be any major problems,” Kane said. He added that playing in autumn rather than winter should reduce the contrast between the two surfaces.
